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So on the one hand, there's a lot of Yamato this chapter!
On the other hand...*flails*
(Also, I have a Theory)
I feel like I might need a content note for some brief discussion of non-canon incest shipping? Also there's some homophobia and heteronormativity but...it's an otome game by Otomate, so :/
Yamato keeps throwing himself into fighting the monsters so hard that he comes back covered in cuts and bruises. His signature phrase is "betso ni", "It's nothing". When he seems especially unwell one day everyone expresses concern and he gets pissy and storms off.
Beniyuri goes to his room with hot chocolate, wanting to help him like Kagiha helped her. She notices that there are a lot less white glowing butterflies than in her room, making the otherwise identical room seem gloomy.
Yamato is prickly at first, but just tells her to stop being nosy and doesn't get all Don't Go Alone Into Men's Rooms. Eventually he admits that he does remember something about his family: he has a "younger" fraternal twin brother who has been in a coma for ten years, because of something Yamato blames himself for. Yamato doesn't remember his brother's name or even his appearance, but does remember visiting him every day. The doctors said it could be the difference between the brother waking up and slipping entirely away. And this is why Yamato is so desperate to get out.
Luckily, this doesn't hit my Disabled Person As Angst Object button too badly, it's not really ableist to write a coma patient as passive lol.
Hearing Yamato say "It's all my fault" gives Beniyuri a strange sense of deja vu, as if she has said that herself many times. And then he says "Have I told you this before? It feels strangely familiar."
He starts to reach towards her face.
Beniyuri is suddenly terrified, not because she thinks he's being threatening or even flirtatious, but because she is somehow sure that if he touches her, they will both remember something. Something she doesn't want to know. She pulls away. He apologises for being out of line, and she says it's fine but leaves as quickly as she can.
Why was she so afraid to remember? Isn't that what she wants? She curses herself for being a coward and goes back to her room.
Just as she's falling asleep, she gets a message on her phone: Do you wish to know Yamato?
Me: YES :D
Beniyuri: Are we being watched? D:
...fair.
She considers replying: she does want to know more about Yamoto. But she also has that same sense of foreboding from before.
And I get to choose! Well, obviously any good otome heroine puts her man ahead of self preservation.
Before she can actually type anything, a picture comes up:
BABIES
She agrees with me that the white haired boy is clearly Yamato, then says the brunette boy is...Hikage? I would have assumed Yamato's brother. IS HIKAGE YAMATO'S BROTHER? They look young enough in the photo for it to be 10+ years ago, and seem to feel a bond now.
Orrrr it's just anime sameface.
They do definitely seem to have known each other beforehand, even if they're not SECRET TWINS. I was thinking "All of them as highschool students with Kagiha as the teacher haha" then went WAIT NO HE'S THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE AND HAS BEEN LYING ALL THIS TIME. I suspected that at the start when he "happened" to have found the safe room, then forgot to keep an eye out for clues one way or the other. SO. I WILL DO THAT NOW.
Also, I forgot to mention it before (and will edit it in now) but during the flashback to Beniyuri getting ready for school she was waiting for a male friend who I bet was one of the LIs. I think she described him as light hearted, so maybe Karasuba?
OOH but wait, no, Beniyuri does in fact think they're brothers! And look alike! The sprite art...doesn't really make that clear, but never mind.
AND THEN
ASHDGFAJHD
Yamato screams. Beniyuri and the others run towards the noise, which is coming from just outside the base. Yamato stands limp, like a puppet with it's strings cut, and doesn't respond when they call. Instead he just cries "I did it...I killed him..."
But if "him" is his brother...and his brother is Hikage...are they ALL dead???
Black butterflies fly to the choker around his neck. Beniyuri tries to go to him, but Kagiha pulls her back. Because he is the master and knows what this means? But what does it...
!!!!!!!
IS YAMATO BECOMING A MONSTER????
OH GOD
He is consumed with oily blackness and runs off into the darkness.
Usagi approaches.
Beniyuri: WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Kagiha: Calm down, Beniyuri.
Me: >:(
Usagi: Yamato's soul has become steeped in despair.
This better not be some What Dreams May Come bullshit about Hell being what happens if you don't think positively enough.
Usagi: Between the world of the living and the afterlife is a place where spirits of the dead pass through.
Hikage: So we're all dead?
Usagi: You're all almost dead. Normally when a soul passes through this place it loses it's memory, and then it's face, and then it's body, so it can become a pure soul and pass on to the afterlife. But those with a strong fixation on the world of the living, or who somehow regain their memories, are unable to escape this place. They grow tired, then they fall into despair, and they turn into those monsters. Then they head to the opposite of the afterlife: The Abyss.
Ok, it's a Buddhist "Hell(ish) is what happens if you are too attached to the material world" thing, I can deal with that.
If the main characters avoid regaining their memories, they will forget and go to the afterlife. But to return to the world of the living, they need to keep their memories.
Butterflies are the fragments of souls. White ones guide you to the afterlife, black drag you to the Abyss.
Yamato ;_;
He's a LI, so he'll be ok, right??? ;_;
HMM. I WONDER WHY KAGIHA IS IN THIS SHOT
Usagi: The master...created this world. Ands now he wants to see the completion of the kaleidoscope. It is a magical tool that can grant wishes. It was broken, and the ages spent trying to repair it stretch beyond imagination. It is nearly complete, and upon it's completion the master will hear each of your wishes.
Kagiha: So the master of this house did not lock us in hereand is in fact a kind handsome man who certain people should consider kissing instead of certain other people who are monsters now anyway
Usagi: Nobody is keeping you here. But nothing lies beyond this place but nothingness. To swim against the tide, you must complete the kaleidoscope.
Beniyuri: And shoot monsters who used to be people? Including...Yamato D:
Usagi: They are already lost. They cannot be saved.
Me: YOU TAKE THAT BACK
Karasuba pretends to be fine with this but he looks pretty sad.
I was thinking earlier that it was nice that my chosen LI seemed to be important to the plot but NOT LIKE THIS
The reason the monsters wear masks is to hide that they have lost their faces D:
Before Beniyuri can ask Usagi how she has kept her face and memories, she leaves.
"The fog has lifted, and all that awaits us is a bottomless chasm. The fathomless gloom stretches it's maw open, waiting to swallow us whole."
Beniyuri tells the others that the master sent her a photo, but before showing it to them asks Hikage if he's decided he does want to regain his memories. He says yes, but then falls to his knees clutching his head.
Hikage: I'm Yamato's brother...
He looks lonely, and Beniyuri offers to send him the photo.
Hikage: Don't you remember? We already found out we can't contact each other with them.
Kagiha: It could be that they're created with the power of thought, like our weapons, and were made to only receive.
Could be, huh?
Hikage says he'll be fine, and Kagiha suggests everyone go to bed. Beniyuri thinks about how she was the last person to see Yamato. What sent him into despair, did he get sent the photo too?
Could she have done something? Can he really never come back?
She feels deep pain in her heart: guilt and sadness and regret.
I have a choice!
"I want to talk to someone"
"Can Yamato really not turn back"
"I want to solve the mystery of this manor"
"I wish this was all a dream"
The Yamato choice is pretty clear but I'm not sure if/how the others line up to the other LIs.
Interesting, the flowchart shows five branches. I wonder how you get the fifth.
Beniyuri decides that tomorrow she'll find Usagi and ask if there's any way to track down Yamato. Then she goes to sleep.
She wakes, realising that the now familiar rhythm of the rain has changed. She senses a presence by her bed, and sees...cat mask guy, only he's translucent??
Cat mask guy: ...help...me...
And then, there's noone there, and she decides it was just a dream and goes back to sleep.
END OF CHAPTER 3
Who IS this guy???
Cam: Your computer appears to be steaming
Me: It's the sound of rain from the game I'm playing
Cam: That's supposed to be rain?
Me: It's in Japanese
Cam: ...that's not how that works
I need to unlock 3 more short scenes to progress. There's some VERY ENTICING new ones with names like "old memory with mother" but alas I can't unlock them yet. I was wondering how they'd have Chapter 3 scenes without Yamato, looks like it's all memories. There's one new scene that's been unlocked automatically so let's start that that.
Friendly Quarrel:
Ai/Beniyuri's childhood friend Takuya used to be friendly but recently he's started doing mean things like pulling her hair and calling her a tomboy. After he throws a soccer ball at her head she says she doesn't want to talk to him any more if he's going to be a jerk.
He accuses her of having a victim complex and makes as if to storm off, but keeps following her. He tells her to say something to fill the silence, which is something Yamato always does, in case there was any doubt this is him.
He steals her bag and she trips chasing him. He apologises but she is still pissed and just glares at him silently. Good for you, Ai.
But then he starts bouncing his soccer ball on his knee and she gets distracted by how cool it is.
Takuya: When I'm a pro footballer you can brag that I showed you my skills!
Ai: I look forward to it!
Sigh. At least adult/teen Yamato is a little less obnoxious.
And now I think I'll just go through in the order the scenes are listed until I have the option for something new involving Yamato. Which probably won't be for a while ;_;
Handgun training with Hikage:
Just after the first time he and Beniyuri summon their guns, she's gone to sleep and he's showing the others how to so it. He explains about imagining the shape, colour etc but there's no sexy hugging. "What do you desire? What do you want to protect?"
It's strange knowing that Yamato's motivation is protecting his little brother...without realising he's right there in front of him.
The narration without Beniyuri present seems to be third person omniscient, describing everyone as concentrating on what they desire and want to protect.
Karasuba: What I desire...
Kagiha: The one I desire...
HMMM
IS THIS SOME CHERITZ SECRET LI TYPE SITCH? Where he killed everyone to bring Beniyuri here??
(If it turns out he's just like...some older family friend or something I'm going to be quite disappointed)
YEP. BASICALLY IDENTICAL.
wait oh no I didn't think this through. There IS Hikage/Yamato gun-pose hugging in the end, but I know it's incest now so I can't ship it. WOE.
Karasuba: Gayyyyyy
Hikage: I'm not into this!
Yamato: Me either!
Me: Me either :(
Hikage gets Yamato to think about what he wants to protect and now it's just sad cos they're so close but they don't knooooow.
It's still kinda gay though, all this hand holding and talking about desire.
And I can sort of ship it? If it was like...Hikage being drawn to Yamato and having some confused attraction, and then he finds out Yamato is his brother AND HE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO KILL HIM and he feels REALLY BAD.
Anyway. Yamato manifests his gun, and all four of them stay up to practice.
Small Pride:
Huh, interesting! I happened to check the flowchart just after Hikage said the first line of the scene, and what had been four blank faces for the characters in the scene turned into 3 blank faces and a Hikage. That's more fine grained tracking than I'd have bothered with as a game dev.
OH NO I WENT TO SLEEP AND FORGOT TO SAVE. AND I CAN'T FIND THE SKIP FUNCTION?? Urrrrgh. *puts it on autoplay on the other computer and grumpily googles because replaying scenes without skip would be torture*
FOUND IT. TOP RIGHT CORNER.
Ok!
So, Kagiha set up a schedule for who washes the dishes, and now that it's Yamato's turn he bickers with Hikage about the best way to stack dishes, which somehow turns into the two of them accusing the other of being effeminate?? Being called a woman is the worst insult you can say to a man, is it, Hikage? >:(
Hikage: Beniyuri, as the only woman here, you agree I'm not effeminate right?
Yamato: No, you agree that he's just too annoying!
Beniyuri: AHH! STOP ARGUING OVER SUCH TRIVIAL THINGS >:(
I would have gone for "Stop being sexist assholes" but that'll do.
She then forces them both to apologise, Yamato does so immediately if not with much good grace. Hikage takes more prodding and a long glare.
Hikage: Yamato...earlier...I...uh...*cough* *cough*
Karasuba: His body is rejecting the apology!
Hikage, softly and quietly: I'm sorry. *runs off*
MEN.
I had to look up the CG gallery to get one of the images and I'm at about 10% for each character? I feel further along than that! I tried looking up how many chapters there are but kept hitting walkthroughs with more info than I want, but it looks like there's maybe 7? I guess there's just more CGs near the end.
I will leave you all with the mental image I just got of the cast as Madoka Magica characters: Yamato as Sayaka, Beniyuri as Madoka, and Kagiha as Kyubey. And I guess Karasuba as Kyoko and Hikage as Homura?
So on the one hand, there's a lot of Yamato this chapter!
On the other hand...*flails*
(Also, I have a Theory)
I feel like I might need a content note for some brief discussion of non-canon incest shipping? Also there's some homophobia and heteronormativity but...it's an otome game by Otomate, so :/
Yamato keeps throwing himself into fighting the monsters so hard that he comes back covered in cuts and bruises. His signature phrase is "betso ni", "It's nothing". When he seems especially unwell one day everyone expresses concern and he gets pissy and storms off.
Beniyuri goes to his room with hot chocolate, wanting to help him like Kagiha helped her. She notices that there are a lot less white glowing butterflies than in her room, making the otherwise identical room seem gloomy.
Yamato is prickly at first, but just tells her to stop being nosy and doesn't get all Don't Go Alone Into Men's Rooms. Eventually he admits that he does remember something about his family: he has a "younger" fraternal twin brother who has been in a coma for ten years, because of something Yamato blames himself for. Yamato doesn't remember his brother's name or even his appearance, but does remember visiting him every day. The doctors said it could be the difference between the brother waking up and slipping entirely away. And this is why Yamato is so desperate to get out.
Luckily, this doesn't hit my Disabled Person As Angst Object button too badly, it's not really ableist to write a coma patient as passive lol.
Hearing Yamato say "It's all my fault" gives Beniyuri a strange sense of deja vu, as if she has said that herself many times. And then he says "Have I told you this before? It feels strangely familiar."
He starts to reach towards her face.
Beniyuri is suddenly terrified, not because she thinks he's being threatening or even flirtatious, but because she is somehow sure that if he touches her, they will both remember something. Something she doesn't want to know. She pulls away. He apologises for being out of line, and she says it's fine but leaves as quickly as she can.
Why was she so afraid to remember? Isn't that what she wants? She curses herself for being a coward and goes back to her room.
Just as she's falling asleep, she gets a message on her phone: Do you wish to know Yamato?
Me: YES :D
Beniyuri: Are we being watched? D:
...fair.
She considers replying: she does want to know more about Yamoto. But she also has that same sense of foreboding from before.
And I get to choose! Well, obviously any good otome heroine puts her man ahead of self preservation.
Before she can actually type anything, a picture comes up:
BABIES
She agrees with me that the white haired boy is clearly Yamato, then says the brunette boy is...Hikage? I would have assumed Yamato's brother. IS HIKAGE YAMATO'S BROTHER? They look young enough in the photo for it to be 10+ years ago, and seem to feel a bond now.
Orrrr it's just anime sameface.
They do definitely seem to have known each other beforehand, even if they're not SECRET TWINS. I was thinking "All of them as highschool students with Kagiha as the teacher haha" then went WAIT NO HE'S THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE AND HAS BEEN LYING ALL THIS TIME. I suspected that at the start when he "happened" to have found the safe room, then forgot to keep an eye out for clues one way or the other. SO. I WILL DO THAT NOW.
Also, I forgot to mention it before (and will edit it in now) but during the flashback to Beniyuri getting ready for school she was waiting for a male friend who I bet was one of the LIs. I think she described him as light hearted, so maybe Karasuba?
OOH but wait, no, Beniyuri does in fact think they're brothers! And look alike! The sprite art...doesn't really make that clear, but never mind.
AND THEN
ASHDGFAJHD
Yamato screams. Beniyuri and the others run towards the noise, which is coming from just outside the base. Yamato stands limp, like a puppet with it's strings cut, and doesn't respond when they call. Instead he just cries "I did it...I killed him..."
But if "him" is his brother...and his brother is Hikage...are they ALL dead???
Black butterflies fly to the choker around his neck. Beniyuri tries to go to him, but Kagiha pulls her back. Because he is the master and knows what this means? But what does it...
!!!!!!!
IS YAMATO BECOMING A MONSTER????
OH GOD
He is consumed with oily blackness and runs off into the darkness.
Usagi approaches.
Beniyuri: WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
Kagiha: Calm down, Beniyuri.
Me: >:(
Usagi: Yamato's soul has become steeped in despair.
This better not be some What Dreams May Come bullshit about Hell being what happens if you don't think positively enough.
Usagi: Between the world of the living and the afterlife is a place where spirits of the dead pass through.
Hikage: So we're all dead?
Usagi: You're all almost dead. Normally when a soul passes through this place it loses it's memory, and then it's face, and then it's body, so it can become a pure soul and pass on to the afterlife. But those with a strong fixation on the world of the living, or who somehow regain their memories, are unable to escape this place. They grow tired, then they fall into despair, and they turn into those monsters. Then they head to the opposite of the afterlife: The Abyss.
Ok, it's a Buddhist "Hell(ish) is what happens if you are too attached to the material world" thing, I can deal with that.
If the main characters avoid regaining their memories, they will forget and go to the afterlife. But to return to the world of the living, they need to keep their memories.
Butterflies are the fragments of souls. White ones guide you to the afterlife, black drag you to the Abyss.
Yamato ;_;
He's a LI, so he'll be ok, right??? ;_;
HMM. I WONDER WHY KAGIHA IS IN THIS SHOT
Usagi: The master...created this world. Ands now he wants to see the completion of the kaleidoscope. It is a magical tool that can grant wishes. It was broken, and the ages spent trying to repair it stretch beyond imagination. It is nearly complete, and upon it's completion the master will hear each of your wishes.
Kagiha: So the master of this house did not lock us in here
Usagi: Nobody is keeping you here. But nothing lies beyond this place but nothingness. To swim against the tide, you must complete the kaleidoscope.
Beniyuri: And shoot monsters who used to be people? Including...Yamato D:
Usagi: They are already lost. They cannot be saved.
Me: YOU TAKE THAT BACK
Karasuba pretends to be fine with this but he looks pretty sad.
I was thinking earlier that it was nice that my chosen LI seemed to be important to the plot but NOT LIKE THIS
The reason the monsters wear masks is to hide that they have lost their faces D:
Before Beniyuri can ask Usagi how she has kept her face and memories, she leaves.
"The fog has lifted, and all that awaits us is a bottomless chasm. The fathomless gloom stretches it's maw open, waiting to swallow us whole."
Beniyuri tells the others that the master sent her a photo, but before showing it to them asks Hikage if he's decided he does want to regain his memories. He says yes, but then falls to his knees clutching his head.
Hikage: I'm Yamato's brother...
He looks lonely, and Beniyuri offers to send him the photo.
Hikage: Don't you remember? We already found out we can't contact each other with them.
Kagiha: It could be that they're created with the power of thought, like our weapons, and were made to only receive.
Could be, huh?
Hikage says he'll be fine, and Kagiha suggests everyone go to bed. Beniyuri thinks about how she was the last person to see Yamato. What sent him into despair, did he get sent the photo too?
Could she have done something? Can he really never come back?
She feels deep pain in her heart: guilt and sadness and regret.
I have a choice!
"I want to talk to someone"
"Can Yamato really not turn back"
"I want to solve the mystery of this manor"
"I wish this was all a dream"
The Yamato choice is pretty clear but I'm not sure if/how the others line up to the other LIs.
Interesting, the flowchart shows five branches. I wonder how you get the fifth.
Beniyuri decides that tomorrow she'll find Usagi and ask if there's any way to track down Yamato. Then she goes to sleep.
She wakes, realising that the now familiar rhythm of the rain has changed. She senses a presence by her bed, and sees...cat mask guy, only he's translucent??
Cat mask guy: ...help...me...
And then, there's noone there, and she decides it was just a dream and goes back to sleep.
END OF CHAPTER 3
Who IS this guy???
Cam: Your computer appears to be steaming
Me: It's the sound of rain from the game I'm playing
Cam: That's supposed to be rain?
Me: It's in Japanese
Cam: ...that's not how that works
I need to unlock 3 more short scenes to progress. There's some VERY ENTICING new ones with names like "old memory with mother" but alas I can't unlock them yet. I was wondering how they'd have Chapter 3 scenes without Yamato, looks like it's all memories. There's one new scene that's been unlocked automatically so let's start that that.
Friendly Quarrel:
Ai/Beniyuri's childhood friend Takuya used to be friendly but recently he's started doing mean things like pulling her hair and calling her a tomboy. After he throws a soccer ball at her head she says she doesn't want to talk to him any more if he's going to be a jerk.
He accuses her of having a victim complex and makes as if to storm off, but keeps following her. He tells her to say something to fill the silence, which is something Yamato always does, in case there was any doubt this is him.
He steals her bag and she trips chasing him. He apologises but she is still pissed and just glares at him silently. Good for you, Ai.
But then he starts bouncing his soccer ball on his knee and she gets distracted by how cool it is.
Takuya: When I'm a pro footballer you can brag that I showed you my skills!
Ai: I look forward to it!
Sigh. At least adult/teen Yamato is a little less obnoxious.
And now I think I'll just go through in the order the scenes are listed until I have the option for something new involving Yamato. Which probably won't be for a while ;_;
Handgun training with Hikage:
Just after the first time he and Beniyuri summon their guns, she's gone to sleep and he's showing the others how to so it. He explains about imagining the shape, colour etc but there's no sexy hugging. "What do you desire? What do you want to protect?"
It's strange knowing that Yamato's motivation is protecting his little brother...without realising he's right there in front of him.
The narration without Beniyuri present seems to be third person omniscient, describing everyone as concentrating on what they desire and want to protect.
Karasuba: What I desire...
Kagiha: The one I desire...
HMMM
IS THIS SOME CHERITZ SECRET LI TYPE SITCH? Where he killed everyone to bring Beniyuri here??
(If it turns out he's just like...some older family friend or something I'm going to be quite disappointed)
YEP. BASICALLY IDENTICAL.
wait oh no I didn't think this through. There IS Hikage/Yamato gun-pose hugging in the end, but I know it's incest now so I can't ship it. WOE.
Karasuba: Gayyyyyy
Hikage: I'm not into this!
Yamato: Me either!
Me: Me either :(
Hikage gets Yamato to think about what he wants to protect and now it's just sad cos they're so close but they don't knooooow.
It's still kinda gay though, all this hand holding and talking about desire.
And I can sort of ship it? If it was like...Hikage being drawn to Yamato and having some confused attraction, and then he finds out Yamato is his brother AND HE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO KILL HIM and he feels REALLY BAD.
Anyway. Yamato manifests his gun, and all four of them stay up to practice.
Small Pride:
Huh, interesting! I happened to check the flowchart just after Hikage said the first line of the scene, and what had been four blank faces for the characters in the scene turned into 3 blank faces and a Hikage. That's more fine grained tracking than I'd have bothered with as a game dev.
OH NO I WENT TO SLEEP AND FORGOT TO SAVE. AND I CAN'T FIND THE SKIP FUNCTION?? Urrrrgh. *puts it on autoplay on the other computer and grumpily googles because replaying scenes without skip would be torture*
FOUND IT. TOP RIGHT CORNER.
Ok!
So, Kagiha set up a schedule for who washes the dishes, and now that it's Yamato's turn he bickers with Hikage about the best way to stack dishes, which somehow turns into the two of them accusing the other of being effeminate?? Being called a woman is the worst insult you can say to a man, is it, Hikage? >:(
Hikage: Beniyuri, as the only woman here, you agree I'm not effeminate right?
Yamato: No, you agree that he's just too annoying!
Beniyuri: AHH! STOP ARGUING OVER SUCH TRIVIAL THINGS >:(
I would have gone for "Stop being sexist assholes" but that'll do.
She then forces them both to apologise, Yamato does so immediately if not with much good grace. Hikage takes more prodding and a long glare.
Hikage: Yamato...earlier...I...uh...*cough* *cough*
Karasuba: His body is rejecting the apology!
Hikage, softly and quietly: I'm sorry. *runs off*
MEN.
I had to look up the CG gallery to get one of the images and I'm at about 10% for each character? I feel further along than that! I tried looking up how many chapters there are but kept hitting walkthroughs with more info than I want, but it looks like there's maybe 7? I guess there's just more CGs near the end.
I will leave you all with the mental image I just got of the cast as Madoka Magica characters: Yamato as Sayaka, Beniyuri as Madoka, and Kagiha as Kyubey. And I guess Karasuba as Kyoko and Hikage as Homura?
